banana

noun

ba·​nana bə-ˈna-nə How to pronounce banana (audio)
especially British -ˈnä-
1
: an elongated usually tapering tropical fruit with soft pulpy flesh enclosed in a soft usually yellow rind
a bunch of bananas
slipped on a banana peel
2
: any of several widely cultivated perennial often treelike herbs (genus Musa of the family Musaceae, the banana family) bearing bananas in compact pendent bunches

Illustration of banana

Illustration of banana
  • banana 2

Examples of banana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the coffee shop focuses on classic coffee flavors, its menu also offers sweet latte flavors such as the customer favorite banana cream, as well as butter beer, French toast, honey, lemon meringue and blueberry crumble. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026 While researchers didn't test a banana-blueberry smoothie, the results suggest that bananas could reduce the benefits of foods high in flavan-3-ols. — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026 My favorite fruits to buy are cherries, blueberries, bananas, apples, strawberries, blackberries, mangos and oranges. — Jeremy London, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 Adding a banana raises the ethylene concentration, since bananas release the gas too. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for banana

Word History

Etymology

Spanish or Portuguese; Spanish, from Portuguese, of African origin; akin to Wolof banaana banana

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of banana was in 1597

Phrases Containing banana

Rhymes for banana

See All Rhymes for banana

Browse Nearby Words

banally
banana
banana belt
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Banana.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banana. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

banana

noun
ba·​nana bə-ˈnan-ə How to pronounce banana (audio)
: a treelike tropical plant with large leaves and flower clusters that develop into a bunch of finger-shaped fruit which are usually yellow when ripe
also : its fruit

More from Merriam-Webster on banana

Nglish: Translation of banana for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about banana

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All